


30+1 Days of Domestic Fluff

by ZippyZapmeister



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Babies, Domestic Fluff, Double Dating, F/F, Fluff, Grocery Shopping, House Cleaning, Hugs, Humor, Married Life, Mornings, Picnics, Plants, Road Trips, Sickfic, Sleepy Kisses, They are married, Vacation, as i always say: at least as much as i can manage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-04-30 22:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 16,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZippyZapmeister/pseuds/ZippyZapmeister
Summary: What it says on the tin, except 100% DiaMaru.





	1. Waking Up Together

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! I'm proooobably gonna be on smut hiatus for all of May cuz I wanna give myself a little reset. I feel like I've been repetitive or just straight up bad at writing smut lately and while that may or may not be true depending on your own opinions, I'd like to have a little cooldown period. Fear not, I'll try and follow through with this, though! :D Hope you enjoy.

There were a lot of good things in the wintertime: the New Year, Christmas, Dia’s birthday, Kanan’s birthday, and even Hanamaru’s birthday at the tail end of the chilly season. However, there was one huge downside that Dia couldn’t ignore. Every day, without fail, she woke up to a bare body and a cold room.

 

Dia knew that  _ she _ was somewhat of a brat, but Hanamaru took the cake when it came to her sleeping habits. There was a certain temperature Hanamaru needed to fall asleep, and the TV couldn’t be too loud or too quiet. Her stomach couldn’t be too full or too empty, and Dia couldn’t be too close or too far from her. There was one thing that wasn’t too tedious, though. Hanamaru needed blankets, and it was non-negotiable. To be more specific, she needed  _ all _ of the blankets. Hanamaru remained blissfully unaware of her blanket-hogging, no matter how many times Dia pointed it out to her.

 

“It’s a big blanket, zura,” she would always say. “I overestimate the size sometimes.”

 

It was a response that was just true enough to seem legitimate. Either way, Dia couldn’t deny that she was always freezing when she woke up. She couldn’t turn the heat on before they went to bed, because Hanamaru would complain about being hot. 

 

Dia grumbled in frustration as she woke up to a cold bed once again. Anybody else would have been brushed off so that Dia could get her way, but watching Hanamaru rub her eyes sleepily with pink cheeks and whine about the heat was a little too cute for words...especially words of denial.

 

Dia glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning on a Saturday, which was early even for her. There was no way she was getting out of bed (partly because Hanamaru would stretch over the whole bed and leave nowhere for Dia to lay), but she knew that if she was awake too long, she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. She rolled over and looked at Hanamaru, who was rolled up with the blankets tucked beneath her. “Enough is enough, Hanamaru,” Dia said sternly. Hanamaru let out a “mmph”. At least she was awake. Unlike Dia, Hanamaru wasn’t  _ too _ cranky about being stirred from her slumber. “Hand over some blankets! I’m cold!”

 

“Eat a burger or something. No wonder you’re always cold, zura. You’re thin as a pole,” Hanamaru mumbled. She rolled over as well. She even had the blankets wrapped around her head. After all, it was a pretty big blanket... “Now you woke me up, Dia-chan. You’re so mean...”

 

“Oh,  _ I’m _ mean? After you left me to freeze in my own home?”

 

“No,  _ our _ home,” Hanamaru corrected. “And  _ our _ blankets! Don’t be so greedy.”

 

Dia deflated. It was like talking to a brick wall. Desperate, Dia scooted closer to Hanamaru and clung to the barrier of blankets like a leech, trying to siphon some warmth from the Maru burrito. It was...only slightly effective. “It’s almost frightening, how easily you can just ignore the things you do wrong when you want to. Seriously, I can’t get a break. No blankets...I can’t watch TV too loud...if I get out of bed for  _ one second, _ you steal my spot-”

 

“Our bed!”

 

“I never said it wasn’t, but ‘our’ implies  _ sharing, _ Hanamaru...” Hanamaru just pouted. Much to Dia’s surprise, Hanamaru unravelled some of her blanket fortress and tossed it in Dia’s direction. Dia scoffed. “No. I don’t want it. I’m awake, now. No need to pay me any mind...”

 

“Oh. That’s good. I didn’t wanna give it to you anyway, zura,” Hanamaru gushed. She quickly snatched up the previously surrendered blanket fragment and snuggled it close. “Since we’re both awake now, why don’t you make us some breakfast while I finish the dream you interrupted?"


	2. Morning Routine

Hanamaru was the better cook between the two of them, but Dia was always on breakfast duty. While Dia could easily get up and be on her merry way, no matter how tired, Hanamaru always had to spend a couple extra minutes lazing about. By the time she was out of hibernation, Dia was halfway done with making breakfast. On the better days, she was already done, and wouldn’t have to hear Hanamaru ask when the food would be finished a million times in a row.

 

There was a certain coziness to waking up and getting ready for the day, but, oddly, they rarely spoke to each other. Neither of them were morning people, even though Dia was a little better at getting up. Instead, they sat at the table in silence, with Hanamaru sleepily shoveling food into her mouth while Dia chugged coffee to keep herself awake. 

 

“Dia-chan...the scrambled eggs are a little runny, zura.” 

 

“Sorry, your highness. How else are they supposed to be?”

 

Hanamaru was occasionally too tired in the mornings to complain about Dia’s mediocre cooking, but Dia had caught her on a good day, unfortunately. It seemed like the blanket debate had mutated into a cooking debate, as it sometimes did. The worst part was that Dia knew she didn’t really have any ammunition to work with because she was quite aware of how awful her cooking was. All she could rely on in that area was her stubbornness and ability to ignore how wrong she was. “Fluffy!”

 

_ Fluffy eggs...? _ Dia looked down at her eggs, surprised that she was even entertaining Hanamaru’s criticisms for once. They didn’t look very fluffy. They kind of looked like sunny-side-up eggs except only slightly more solid. But not  _ runny. _ Really, Dia was starting to feel like Hanamaru was making things up to complain about in the mornings. “First the bland sausage and burnt pancakes...now the runny eggs. We really ought to cook together more in the mornings, don’t you think?”

 

“But I’m too tired in the mornings,” Hanamaru whined. “Let’s have breakfast for dinner tonight, and I’ll teach you how to make a nice, hearty, fluffy breakfast!” Hanamaru paused, and Dia smiled because she knew what was coming. No matter how honest or teasing Hanamaru could be sometimes, there was a soft side to her that would never disappear. “But I love your cooking, too, Dia-chan! Wanna know why?”

 

“Hmm? Why?” Dia couldn’t believe she was still playing along, especially when that little bit of dialogue came every single morning.

 

“Because it’s filled with love,” Hanamaru said, swooning. 

 

(Of course, the eggs still went uneaten.)


	3. Doing Laundry

Hanamaru sighed, looking at her and Dia’s shared bed with longing. “This is the worst part of laundry day,” she said. “The bed looks so sad without the linen, zura.”

  


“We have some more in the closet. The bed doesn't have to be bare when we do laundry,” Dia said. They were both standing at the foot of the bed, as if they didn't know what else to do if they couldn't comfortably lay in it.

  


Hanamaru huffed. Dia never really understood the finer things in life. The kind that money couldn't buy. “But it wouldn't be the same. We've been using the same blankets and pillowcases and sheets since we moved in, zura.”

  


“There's nothing wrong with change...but I see what you're saying. The linen should be done washing by now, anyway. Didn't you put it in the machine an hour ago?”

  


Hanamaru jumped with excitement. She thought time was passing at a snail’s pace, but finally, she would have her bed back! ...After they dried, of course. Still, it was a start. Hanamaru ran towards the laundry nook, but before she could get there, her bare feet met water.

  


“Gross...Dia-chan, did you spill something...?”

  


The liquid on her feet felt slippery, as if the water was almost...sudsy. Dia was hot on Hanamaru's heels, looking at the floor with disdain. “Absolutely not! I would have cleaned up after myself. It feels like soapy water.”

  


Curious, they crept closer to the washing machine, their feet smacking the wet tile floor along the way. The laundry room looked like a frighteningly clean crime scene. The washing machine had overflown, and there were soap bubbles all over the floor; the puddle that Hanamaru had stepped in before was merely a precursor. “Such a mess! What happened, zura?!”

  


“What did you do?!  _ You _ put the load in...”

  


“I-I don't know! I told you I don't know how to work this thing!” Hanamaru flipped the lid up, and a little foam sloshed over the edge. Through the frothy seas of soap, Hanamaru could just barely see a corner of their comforter. “There's so many bubbles, zura...”

  


Dia stepped closer and cringed at the strong scent of laundry detergent. “How much soap powder did you put in?”

  


“Oh, the whole box. I figured if we were gonna spend an hour washing it, we should make it worth our while, zura. I didn't think this would happen...”

  


Dia groaned, slamming the lid down as if she couldn't bare to look at it. “At this point, we might as well just throw our clothes on the floor to get them clean.”

  


Hanamaru lifted the lid up gingerly, hauling the heavy blanket and sheets out of the washing machine. Dia opened the dryer and helped Hanamaru shove it in. “It'll be okay in the dryer, right? Even though it's all soapy?”

  


“It should be.” Laundry day was constantly turning out to be a disaster in some way, since Dia wasn’t the most experienced with domestic affairs and Hanamaru had no idea how technology worked. They watched the dryer for a couple of moments, then sighed in relief when nothing exploded. It was a start. “Let’s do away with the machinery and just hand-wash everything.”

  


“What? No way,” Hanamaru whined. “This is better, if you think about it. Now we don’t have to mop the floors, zura!”

  


“And now we’re going to suffocate because our blanket is going to smell like a field of daisies for the next couple of decades.”

  


Hanamaru lifted her foot, sticking her tongue out at the bubbles on it. “I told you I hate laundry day...”


	4. Night In

Hanamaru stared out of the window, her knees pulled to her chest. The rain was washing away every plan Dia had made for the day. They had both been lingering by the window for hours, trying to catch the slightest glimpse of sun, but the storm wouldn’t budge from Uchiura. Every now and then, Dia would huff and insist that their evening could still go okay, as long as the storm let up in an hour, or two, or three...until Hanamaru finally decided to call it quits at seven. She had changed back into her pajamas while Dia was still pacing around, fully dressed. Hanamaru was getting sad because Dia was getting sad, and Dia was getting angry because Hanamaru was getting sad...as if getting angry at the weather was helping their situation.

 

“Dia-chan, the news forecast said the rain won’t let up until early tomorrow morning, zura. Ease up,” Hanamaru said. She closed the curtains, turning to Dia, who was sitting on the couch with her arms folded. 

 

“Well, the  _ news forecast _ ー” Her voice was terribly childish and mocking, prompting Hanamaru to smileー “is the same thing that told me it would be all sunny skies today! I wouldn’t have made so many plans today if I knew it was going to storm...”

 

“It was so sunny earlier. I don’t think you can predict storms like these...”

 

Dia huffed. “I could have spotted it a mile away.”

 

Hanamaru’s first instinct was to ask why Dia would have made plans anyway if she could spot the storm from a mile away, but Dia’s face was so upset that Hanamaru couldn’t find it in her to tease. Dia had really put her all into planning their romantic day, which included a picnic, a movie, a trip to the art museum, and a shopping spree. “Cheer up, Dia-chan. We can spend a night in.”

 

“I know, I know...but we’re always inside,” Dia sighed. “I thought you’d get tired of it.”

 

Reluctantly, Dia started to undress, walking to the bedroom as she did. Hanamaru was pleased. Seeing Dia walking around so anxiously wasn’t good for her heart. Hanamaru fell onto the bed, hoping that she looked happy with staying indoors. Of course she was, though. Neither her nor Dia were the outdoorsy type, but Dia was the one to suggest them getting out more. “Of course not. I don’t care where we are, as long as Dia-chan’s by my side!”

 

Dia changed into some loungewear as well, slipping into bed next to Hanamaru. It was obvious that she was still sour about her plans going wrong, but she was just surrendering to the odds. That wouldn’t do, of course. Hanamaru gave Dia a quick pat on the leg, then ran out of the bedroom, ignoring Dia’s calls for her. Her first stop was the kitchen, where she grabbed all of the snacks that she could fit into her arms. Then she went into the living room, balancing all of the potato chip bags in her grip while picking up a random DVD. She waddled back to the bedroom, dumping her load of loot on the bed. Dia laughed. It was a little dry, but it was a laugh, at least... “So, we’ve got the movie and the picnic. Where’s everything else?”

 

“We can do online shopping,” Hanamaru said. She had no idea how that worked, but Dia was pretty smart. As for the art museum... “You can just look up pictures of art on that Google thingy, right? And we can have our own exhibition!”

 

It was rather obvious that Hanamaru’s ragtag night-in ensemble wasn’t at all like what Dia had in mind, but Hanamaru felt that she had to do  _ something. _ After all, Dia had put so much effort into planning the perfect day. Even if the plan wasn’t executed, Hanamaru had to pay it forward.

 

Dia gingerly picked up a bag of premade popcorn, smiling down at it. “Okay. It’s a date, then?”

 

Hanamaru grinned back, slipping under the covers. The sound of the rain hitting the windows was starting to seem a lot less depressing. “It’s a date, zura!”


	5. Nighttime Routine

Hanamaru perked up at the feel of Dia’s hand on her shoulder, turning her heavy head in Dia’s direction. “You’re tired,” Dia said. Her voice was so soft when Hanamaru was sleepy. Hanamaru sometimes wondered if it was her own ears dulling the noise around her, but the smile on Dia’s face left no room for question. Hanamaru was cemented to the couch, propped up on Dia’s shoulder. 

 

“Am not.” Hanamaru turned to the television with resolve, but she was so exhausted that her vision was blurred. She groaned and burrowed herself deeper into Dia’s side. 

 

Instead of wrapping her arm around Maru’s shoulders like she usually did, Dia stood up, leaving Hanamaru to catch herself from falling. “Come on. Let’s go get ready for bed.”

 

Hanamaru squinted at the television; the credits of the show they were watching were rolling. “‘Kay,” Hanamaru conceded. She stood up and snuggled up to Dia even as they walked down the hallway to their bedroom. As Dia led her into the bathroom, Hanamaru smiled and said, “Brush my teeth for me!”

 

“You’re not a baby, you know. Sometimes I think you act sleepy just so I’ll do all of this stuff for you.” Hanamaru rested even more of her weight on Dia to prove her point, but Dia huffed and simply handed Hanamaru her toothbrush before going to her own side of their double-sinked vanity. Hanamaru threw Dia a variety of discontented glances as they brushed their teeth, and Dia threw them right back, causing Hanamaru to burst into giggles and nearly choke on toothpaste.

 

After they were done washing up, they went back into the bedroom, with Hanamaru walking on her own that time. Hanamaru plopped onto the bed and rolled herself into the covers, although she was gracious enough to leave some for Dia. “I could go all night, Dia-chan,” Hanamaru insisted, her voice slurred with sleep. She vaguely registered Dia scolding her again, but she just huffed. “You’re the one who’s sleepy.”

 

“Yes, yes, sure I am.”

 

“I knew it, zura. You didn’t wanna admit it so you said  _ I _ was sleepy, but I’m not. That’s okay. Go to bed, sleepy Dia-chan.” 

 

Hanamaru looked up at Dia, with her face only being illuminated by the TV’s light. When had Dia turned their bedside lamp off...? “Don’t worry,” Dia said, sighing as she settled next to Hanamaru. “I’m going to sleep soon.”

 

Hanamaru lifted her hand to cup Dia’s cheek, and Dia held Hanamaru’s as well. “You’re cute when you’re sleepy...”

 

“You say that all of the time, Hanamaru. You’re the one who’s-”

 

“Shh,” Hanamaru said. She pinched Dia’s cheek, then rolled over with a laugh. Dia quickly slid up to Hanamaru’s back, wrapping her arm around Hanamaru’s waist. “Good night, Dia-chan. Love ya.”

 

“I love you too...sleepyhead.”


	6. Shopping (For Needs)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huh...just remembered that i gotta get some shopping done as well my damn fridge is empty!!

Dia looked at the grocery list with focused eyes, turning back to the cart every few seconds. Dia liked to stock up whenever they went to the grocery store, because she hated going and didn’t want to come back anytime soon. That’s also why she had to make sure she didn’t forget anything. 

 

Everything seemed to check out. Everything on the list was in the heavy cart, which was being pushed around by an exhausted Hanamaru. However, there was a little something extra when she looked down...

 

“Why are there  _ four boxes _ of cake mix in the cart?”

 

Hanamaru looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her face relaxed and she laughed bashfully. “You never know when we might need it, zura.”

 

Dia rolled her eyes and looked around for the dessert aisle. “We’re putting them back.”

 

“What?! Come on, Dia-chan,” Hanamaru cried. “Why? It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

 

“We can, but it’s a matter of principle.” Dia held up the slightly-crinkled receipt that Hanamaru had written their grocery list on the back of. “This is our list. We follow it to the letter. I don’t think I see cake mix on it.”

 

Hanamaru dug around the cart, a determined look on her face. She pulled out a box of pudding that Dia had put in the cart, then snatched the grocery list, scanning it. “I don’t think I see  _ pudding _ on here either, zura!”

 

Dia fumbled for an excuse. “Y-you forgot to write it down. I told you to-”

 

“Nuh-uh! No you didn’t, zura. So now we gotta put it back-”

 

Dia took the pudding from Hanamaru’s hands, slamming it back into the cart. Hanamaru hardly seemed startled, knowing she had gained the upper hand. “Fine. Get the stupid cake mix. But only one box.”

 

“You have four packages of pudding, though,” Hanamaru sing-songed.

 

Dia wasn’t sure when Hanamaru had become so observant, but she would definitely have to come up with a more subtle way of throwing junk food in the cart. “Just get them all,” Dia grumbled. 

 

“Don’t worry, Dia-chan. If you’re a really good girl, I’ll let you have some when I make it,” Hanamaru cheered. “Unless you wanna eat your  _ four boxes _ of pudding instead...”


	7. Exercising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [please help them](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/love-live/images/0/0e/Dengeki_G%27s_Magazine_Mar_2016_Kanan_Dia_Hanamaru.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160201034937)

“Why’d you say yes, Dia-chan? Why did you do this?” Hanamaru’s voice was only half-whiny; she couldn’t conjure up the air in her lungs to sound upset. Dia couldn’t even make a response. She only hung her head in shame.

 

Kanan seemed to be in her own little world, jogging yards ahead of Dia and Hanamaru. Hoping they were safe from the wrath of exercise-freak Kanan, they stopped, sitting down on the sidewalk and gasping for breath. “Because I thought she was  _ joking, _ Hanamaru,” Dia finally replied. She took a couple of deep breaths, then continued. “When somebody says they’ll do something with you  _ sometime, _ that means it never happens. When she said ‘you, me and Maru-chan should go jogging sometime’ I  _ thought _ that rule would apply!”

 

“Well, it didn’t. And now we’re gonna die, zura.”

 

Dia groaned. They had been jogging for an hour straight. Dia had insisted that Hanamaru was exaggerating when she tired out after half an hour, but Dia was quickly meeting her own limit...and Kanan was still  _ running, _ happy as a clam. “Okay. Focus, Dia,” Dia mumbled to herself. Focusing was a bit hard to do when she was greatly deprived of oxygen, but she had to come up with something. If not for her, then for Hanamaru, who certainly couldn’t survive much more of Kanan’s torture. “Okay. Kanan-san’s going to realize we stopped and double back pretty soon. You pretend like you twisted your ankle.”

 

The idea sounded outrageous as soon as Dia said it, but Hanamaru nodded before Dia was even done. “Got it, zura. You should probably carry me.”

 

Dia was quickly reminded of her weak limbs, and of previous accidents where she had overestimated her strength... “Hmm. Okay, how about this:  _ I’ll _ be the one with the twisted ankle.”

 

“Fine by me,” Hanamaru said. As if she were never tired at all, Hanamaru scooped Dia up in her arms. Dia tried to make herself look as pitiful as possible.

 

Just in time, Kanan came jogging back in their direction, laughing with a nervous smile. “I left you guys behind! What are you doing, slowpokes?”

 

“Dia-chan twisted her wrist, zura.” Dia gave Hanamaru a look that she must have  _ felt,  _ it was so seething. “Um, I mean, her leg! No, ankle. Ankle!”

 

“Uh...which part did she twist, now?” Kanan crept closer, trying to inspect Dia for damage.

 

“Her...” Hanamaru glanced at Dia. “Ankle.”

 

Kanan’s eyebrows furrowed. “I would have wondered why you were carrying her, otherwise. How’d she twist it?”

 

“She fell on her hand,” Hanamaru said, sorrowfully. She quickly sobered up and realized her mistake. "I mean, ankle!"

 

Dia sighed heavily. It seemed like her master plan had fallen to pieces. She wriggled out of Hanamaru’s grasp, then turned to Kanan. “Never mind. I feel fine now.”

 

“Woah! It’s a miracle,” Kanan cheered. “Good timing, too. We only have ten miles left!”

 

Kanan turned and started jogging again. Once she was out of earshot, Hanamaru whispered, “Sorry, I panicked! I’m not a good liar, you know-”

 

“You’re going to be panicking a lot more when we faint in the middle of the sidewalk,” Dia hissed. They started jogging at a snail’s pace, obviously dreading the miles of doom ahead of them. “Well, at least we’re spending our last moments together. Even if we’ll die sweaty and exhausted.”

 

“That’s a nice way to look at it,” Hanamaru said. “I still hate exercising, though.”

 

“Who doesn’t?”


	8. Wearing Each Other's Clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAOOO straight up forgot to upload this it's been done since fuckin yesterday

Hanamaru rifled through the closet with quick but clumsy hands, sifting through an assorted mess of Dia’s old clothes. There was a variety of t-shirts and clothes that didn't fit Dia anymore, and although Hanamaru would have loved to fawn over them, she had a mission.

 

Hanamaru finally found what she was looking for: a well-made and cared for uniform of Otonokizaka, complete with a third-year ribbon. Wrapped inside of it was a blonde ponytailed wig with a hair tie on it. Hanamaru removed the hair tie from the wig and threw the wig back in the box. Her hair would do just fine.

 

The sound of a key in the lock floated into the bedroom. Hanamaru gasped and quickly threw her own clothes off, squeezing into the school uniform. Hanamaru was sure the real Eli Ayase was a bit busty, but Dia must have gotten a uniform that fit her size instead of Eli’s, because it was rather tight. Thankfully, it wasn't too uncomfortable; it hugged her curves graciously, though.

 

For the final touch, Hanamaru pulled on some tights and then put her hair back in a ponytail, putting Eli’s signature hair tie into it. She was ready just in time to hear Dia’s footsteps coming down the hallway. She was definitely tired, after working all day. Hanamaru would definitely give her a surprise worthy of being excited for...

 

“Good evening, Hanamaru...” Dia dragged herself into the bedroom, tossing her bag onto the floor. 

 

Dia looked up. Before she could react, Hanamaru was launching into her routine. “Cute and clever...”

 

“E-Elichika,” Dia replied, dumbfounded. 

 

“Harasho,” Hanamaru cheered. She gave a wink and watched as Dia’s face turned pink.

 

For a couple of moments, Dia just stared at Hanamaru, drinking her in. Then, trying to maintain her dignity, she said, “If you're going to go through my old cosplays, at least use the wigs.”

 

“No way, zura. I've gotta make you fall in love with Maru, too. Not just Elichika!”

 

“I love you  _ and _ Eli-sama,” Dia insisted. She wasn't  _ too _ convincing... “But you're desecrating her name by playing her as a brunette. Wig, please.”

 

Hanamaru huffed, taking the hair tie out. Dia looked very much like a sad puppy, having a treat snatched away from it ruthlessly. “That's just a preview. Real idols only save their charm for special moments.”

 

“I’ll dress up as Rin-sama for you,” Dia bargained.

 

“I'm not as into this stuff as you are, Dia-chan. I don't think anybody is,” Hanamaru deadpanned. “Get on my good side some other way, and maybe the cute and clever Maru-chika will come bless your eyes again...!”


	9. Nursing the Sick One

Hanamaru kicked the covers down to her hips, but her limbs were so sore that she couldn’t do much else. Her head was pounding. There was a nasty taste in her mouth. She felt dizzy, she was so hot...but hadn’t she been cold just moments ago? She was nearly delirious. Of course, there was only one thing she could do then.

 

“Dia-chan,” she whined. 

 

Usually, Dia would be quick to tell her to come out to the living room rather than yelling from the bedroom, but Dia was so unused to seeing Hanamaru ill that she was merely sitting at the bedside. “Yes? I’m right here.”

 

“I’m hot...”

 

“Uh...alright. I’ll move the blankets,” Dia said. Hanamaru felt the blankets shifting down to her feet, letting some of the fairly cold air hit her sweaty skin. “You should change your clothes. Maybe take a cool bath? I’m not sure if those are good for fevers...”

 

Hanamaru could tell that Dia was at a loss when it came to taking care of the sick. Usually, Dia was the one falling into bed at the first sign of a cold, and Hanamaru was bustling around the house to care for her. It was rare that Hanamaru got sick enough to not be able to take care of herself, but she hardly wanted to leave the bed, even if she was so feverish that the sheets were sticking to her skin. “I just want some water, zura,” Hanamaru said.

 

Dia nearly stumbled running out of the room to the kitchen. Hanamaru felt a bit embarrassed that Dia was doing so much for her sake, but she really didn’t want to be alone for long. Dia came back into the room with a cool bottle of water, and Hanamaru sipped it gratefully, with Dia holding the bottle.  _ I could totally hold this myself...but it’s rare that I get pampered like this, _ Hanamaru thought. Dia was even cradling Hanamaru’s head so that she wouldn’t choke, like she was a little infant. “Do you want to try eating?”

 

Hanamaru’s stomach lurched at the thought. “Ugh...”

 

“I guess that means no, but...I-I don’t know. You should eat, right? Even if you’re sick, you should still eat,” Dia said, mostly thinking aloud at that point. 

 

“I don’t wanna.”

 

“Alright. But if you get hungry, let me know. I think I can make some broth.” 

 

Dia returned to her chair by the bed. Hanamaru sat up a little, rubbing her eyes. Dia stiffened, and Hanamaru sighed. “I’m going to the bathroom. Relax.”

 

“To vomit?! Do you need me to hold back your hair? Or-”

 

“No. To pee, Dia-chan.”

 

“Oh. Yes. As you do...” Hanamaru kind of wished she had accepted Dia’s help a bit more, because walking to the bathroom on the stiff limbs wasn’t exactly fun. By the time she made it to the doorframe, she was exhausted. Even through her congested ears, she heard Dia’s footsteps behind her. “Be careful, Hanamaru. You look like you’re barely upright.”

 

Hanamaru frowned. “I can stand...it just hurts. My whole body hurts...but I feel gross. I think I want a bath, after all.”

 

“Okay. I’ll wash you up, too. That way you won’t have to move your arms,” Dia said. She nodded to herself, as if she were proud of her own idea. “Maybe I can lift you into the tub, too-”

 

Hanamaru cringed at the thought of Dia accidentally dropping her. Hanamaru already had a splitting headache, and a slam to the head from the edge of a porcelain tub certainly wouldn’t help. “I can do that myself. But stay with me.”

 

Dia’s help was certainly unnecessary, but there was an anxiously domestic part of Dia that came out when she was taking care of Hanamaru. She was very...vulnerable. Dia rarely admitted that she didn’t know what to do, but when someone else’s comfort was in her hands and she was clueless, she instantly got nervous. Hanamaru found it endearing, not only because she was being waited on hand and foot by the normally stoic Dia Kurosawa, but because it was a side of Dia that Hanamaru didn’t get to see unless Dia was coddling Ruby for some occasion. 

 

“I’ll be right there. And then you can go back to sleep when you get out.” Hanamaru leaned into Dia hard. “A-are you alright?” Dia wrapped her arm around Hanamaru’s waist, and Hanamaru smiled. Being sick certainly had its benefits...


	10. Hair

Dia coughed as her lungs caught a hot handful of dust. Hanamaru laughed next to her. While she usually would have scolded Hanamaru for being so teasing, it was hard to do so when she couldn’t breathe. By the time she finished opening up the murderously dusty box, though, she had regained her energy. “That’s not funny. If you’re going to help me with this stuff, could you actually help?”

 

“Sorry, sorry, zura.” Dia heard the sound of Hanamaru poking through worn tape with scissors, however faint it was. “Jeez, everything that was up there is so fragile...”

 

“Old age. My parents don’t really go up into the attic, so everything up here has just succumbed to the elements,” Dia explained. They were sitting in the living room on an old blanket, sorting through the old boxes of pictures Dia’s parents had given her. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew all of this stuff was so dusty. That’s probably why  _ they _ didn’t want it anymore...”

 

Hanamaru smiled down at a picture after blowing on it to clear the dust. “I don’t mind, zura. Going through a little dust is nothing if I get to see all of these cute pictures of you and Ruby-chan! But where are the pictures of the tiny you? All of these are from middle school and after...”

 

“We’re supposed to be sorting through these and deciding what we want to keep, not fawning over kiddie pictures...but to answer your question, I was rather camera-shy. When I was younger, I used to throw tantrums if a camera was shoved into my face,” Dia admitted. The side of the box that had nearly killed her had a year on it, though, and it was only five years after Dia was born. “Maybe this has what you’re looking for? It might just be more pictures of Ruby, though.”

 

Dia lifted an album out, sneezing when some of the dust floated into her nostrils. After wiping her face on her sleeve, she opened it up. She looked down at the picture on the first page: her and Ruby holding hands on Ruby’s first day of school, with both of them anxiously smiling after being told to. Dia handed it off to Hanamaru wordlessly, who giddily snatched it up and looked down at the photograph. However, she didn’t seem to look as satisfied as Dia thought she’d be. “Hey, that’s not you, Dia-chan. Who’s that holding Ruby-chan’s hand?”

 

“What? It’s me! What do you mean?!”

 

“But...” Hanamaru pouted. “Your hair is short. That’s not how Dia-chan’s hair looks...”

 

“Oh, yeah. I used to have it cut in a little bob.” Dia craned over to look at the picture again. Hanamaru had seen Ruby’s hair long before, but she had never seen Dia’s short. Was it really that much of a shock? “Do you not like it?”

 

Hanamaru just stared at the picture for a bit longer. Then, she looked at the rest of the spread, and slowly flipped through the book until she didn’t see anymore pictures. Then, she exhaled sharply, and raised her scissors like a sword. Dia was too terrified to scoot away. “Let’s cut it again, zura.”

 

“I guess that means you like it.”

 

“C’mon! Lemme cut it,” Hanamaru whined. “The style looks cute on baby Dia-chan, but now I wanna see it on the grown-up Dia-chan! I bet it’d make you look so mature and sharp and stunning...”

 

The tone in Hanamaru’s voice was almost obsessive. Dia finally backed off, but Hanamaru only moved closer. “F-first of all, I’m not cutting it! Secondly, if I  _ did _ decide to get it cut, I’d get it done by a professional. Not an infatuated maniac with a dusty pair of scissors.”

 

“Ruby-chan looks better with longer hair, and yours should be short,” Hanamaru sighed. She dropped the scissors in order to look at the pictures of Dia again. “I’d kiss these photos if they weren’t so dusty. I’ve gotta keep one of these in my wallet, zura...”

 

Dia was a little proud. She  _ was _ pretty cute, wasn’t she? Still, it was probably better to get Hanamaru out of her craze before she got  _ too _ excited. Dia carefully pried the photo album from Hanamaru’s hands, but not before Hanamaru pulled out the picture of Dia and Ruby holding hands. “Don’t show that to anybody, please.”

 

“Still camera-shy?” 

 

“No...” Yes, but Hanamaru didn’t need to know that. Instead, Dia said, “I’m very sensitive about how my hair looks, is all. Don’t you want to be the only one with physical proof of me being that adorable?”

 

Hanamaru looked down at the photo, then back up at the “grown-up” Dia. “Fair enough, zura. I’m gonna keep it all to myself!”

 

Dia sighed in relief. “Great. And hand me those scissors. I don’t want you chopping all my hair off while I sleep...”


	11. Coffee and/or Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coffee is gross :(

For once, Hanamaru was the one to wake up early and get breakfast started. While she was an excellent cook, the quality dropped rather noticeably when she was half-awake. Worse, if Dia dared to complain, she would see a side of Hanamaru that was more furious than the others.

 

So, Dia didn't have much to say when Hanamaru gave her coffee that was  _ absolutely _ wrong.

 

For a moment, when Dia tasted it, she wondered if Hanamaru accidentally switched their cups. The coffee was almost unbearably sweet, and that was the only way Hanamaru could bear to drink her coffee. However, that couldn't have been the case, because Hanamaru was drinking what was assumed to be Dia’s bitter black coffee with no difficulties. 

 

Hanamaru flicked her eyes up at Dia across the table, searching. Did she know that the coffee was incorrect? Dia decided to poke the bear. “My coffee tastes a bit different today.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

That mischievous response told Dia all she needed to know. Hanamaru had definitely made her coffee wrong on purpose. The question was  _ why _ she did it. “This isn't exactly the best thing to wake up to.”

 

“What isn't, zura?”

 

“Sabotaged coffee.”

 

Hanamaru couldn't keep up her act for any longer. She burst into laughter, surprisingly vibrant even though she was half awake. “It's not sabotaged, zura! It's better that way. Drinking coffee all bitter will make you sad all day, Dia-chan. If you're gonna drink it, drink it sweet!”

 

“I'll have you know I enjoy my coffee just fine when it's black,” Dia huffed. “It's most likely more nutritious that way, too.”

 

“You seem a lot happier when you're drinking Maru’s special mix, though...”

 

Dia was smiling, but she wasn't smiling at that nasty coffee. She was just a little entertained by the fact that she had been tricked. Not to mention, Hanamaru's trouble-making smile was contagious. “Sure I am. And I'll be smiling when I pour it down the sink, too.”


	12. Cooking Together

The kitchen seemed a lot smaller when they were working together inside of it. Hanamaru worked by herself for most of the week, but on Friday evenings, her and Dia tried making new things together. Their dishes usually consisted of seafood, considering they both grew up in Uchiura, but for once, they were trying something different: steak. Dia was picky about what kind of steak she’d eat, and Hanamaru was picky about meat in general, so it was a nice challenge for them to live up to.

 

They were still seasoning the meat, which already caused a bit of tension. Even though they were making two different steaks for both of them to have one, they still argued over seasoning. Sometimes, especially with both of them being so stubborn, easy tasks turned into war. “Wait, wait, wait,” Dia said, swatting away Hanamaru’s hand as she reached for the pepper. “You’ve already put enough of that!”

 

“I know what I’m doing! You’ve had a personal chef for half of your life. You should trust me when it comes to cooking.” Hanamaru still snatched up the pepper, sprinkling a bit on her steak and some on Dia’s as well. “You’re welcome.”

 

“You’re not doing me any favors...” Dia looked at the array of seasonings that Hanamaru had taken out of their cabinet, then dove for the garlic and put a couple of specks on Hanamaru’s steak. No matter how little it was, Hanamaru shrieked in horror.  _ Well, that’s what she gets! _

 

“Hey! I hate garlic, zura!” Dia smirked, slamming the garlic down on the counter. However, she hadn’t won just yet. Hanamaru went for the salt. Instead of flipping the lid to the container, she took the lid off, then dumped the whole thing on top of Dia’s steak. “Now we’re even.”

 

Dia stared at her steak in horror. It was little more than meat with a mountain of salt covering it. The whole thing looked white. Furious, Dia grabbed the garlic and did the same thing to Hanamaru’s steak. After that, it was all-out war, all for the sake of spite and chaos. They were grabbing everything they can find, dumping it on each other’s steaks until you couldn’t even see meat on the plate anymore. 

 

When they had finally exhausted all of their ammo, they looked down at their plates and realized that their dinner was far beyond salvation. Not only that, but they were both covered in food. It was almost like a food fight, except the only victims were their poor steaks. “Great! Now we have no steaks. Are you happy with yourself?”

 

“Me?! You started it by doubting my surefire cooking abilities,” Hanamaru shot back. She grabbed an open bottle of relish on the counter, pointing it at Dia like a gun. “Watch out, Dia-chan! I’m armed!”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Help me clean this mess up so we can find out what we’re going to eat,” Dia said. She stared down at her steak with disgust. She was actually looking forward to it... “And no more kitchen-sharing. We might just burn the house down one of these days.”


	13. Washing Dishes

After the food catastrophe, plus preparing another whole meal, Hanamaru and Dia were faced with a heavy cleanup. More annoyingly, they had to wash the dishes by hand since Hanamaru was adamantly anti-dishwasher. Dia was a hardworker, undoubtedly, but manual labor like cleaning put her off.

 

At the very least, Hanamaru was standing next to her, and every now and then, their hands would bump into each other. Dia would look at Hanamaru with a sideways glance, wondering if Hanamaru was just as excited as the contact as Dia was. When she didn’t get a look back, she’d go back to washing utensils.

 

However, after a couple of minutes of dishes clinking into the silence of the kitchen, Hanamaru seemed to take notice. She looked up at Dia with a knowing smile, and Dia’s hands paused in the sink of soapy water. “What’s the look for?”

 

“We’re supposed to be washing dishes so we can go relax, zura.”

 

“We are washing dishes.”

 

“No, you’re trying to hold my hand, sneaky!” Hanamaru’s wrist bumped against Dia’s, and it was definitely on purpose. “We’re not in high school anymore, you know. If you wanna hold my hand, just say so.”

 

Saying so was a little bit much for Dia, but she didn’t mind being a bit more honest in a more physical sense. Her hand swished around in the water for a bit, and she cringed when her hand hit a bit of food residue, but she still sought out Hanamaru’s hand. Hanamaru didn’t seem to be content with that, though. She bumped Dia’s hip playfully and moved her hand away, cleaning a bowl out. “You are not being very fair,” Dia said.

 

Hanamaru rolled her eyes, placing the freshly cleaned bowl on the drying rack and then putting her hands back in the water. Dia tried to hold Hanamaru’s hand again, but Hanamaru kept dodging her. “I told you to  _ say _ so.”

 

“Let me hold your hand.”

 

Dia’s voice was so soft that she surprised even herself, but Hanamaru only grinned. “There we go, zura.” Hanamaru finally let Dia hold her hand, even though it was a bit harder to get the dishes washed when they each only had one hand. It didn’t really matter, though, as long as they were together. Slowly, they made their way through the stack of dirty dishes, hand-in-hand.


	14. Homework and/or Job Work

As soon as the customer she was attending to walked out, Hanamaru went back to the book she was reading behind the counter. She had loved being a library attendant in middle school, but working at a bookstore really took the cake. The owner was a friendly old man, and all of the customers seemed to be genuinely interested in books just like Hanamaru was. As a bonus, it was usually quiet during the week, leaving Hanamaru to peruse the shelves herself.

 

Just as she had gotten back into her book, though, the bell above the door rang. Hanamaru looked up, slipping a bookmark in her book and straightening. “Welcome to-oh. It’s just you, Dia-chan.”

 

“That doesn’t sound like good customer service,” Dia scolded, approaching the counter. “How are you holding up?”

 

Hanamaru resented how Dia was speaking to her, as if she had never had a job before. Then again, Dia had been the only one working in their household for a bit. It was only when Hanamaru got tired of staying at home all day and waiting for Dia to come home that she had looked for a job to busy herself with. “I’m fine, jeez. Are you gonna come check on me like this every day, zura?”

 

Dia looked a bit put off, as if that was exactly what she had planned on doing. “N-no. I’ve only dropped in the past two or three days.”

 

“More like every day for the past week.”

 

“Same thing,” Dia said, rushing the conversation along. “Anyway...I’d feel rude coming in without getting anything, so how about I put you to work? Find me a book.”

 

Hanamaru rolled her eyes. Dia shook her head in disappointment. “What kind, then?”

 

“Hm...romance.” 

 

Dia smirked, and Hanamaru had to stop her knees from going weak. Sometimes it was way too easy for Dia to catch her off-guard and embarrass her, even by saying something so simple. “Like...the kind Riko-chan reads?”

 

Dia physically cringed. “God, no. Just...something flowery, I guess. Something sweet.”

 

Really, was Dia was smooth as Hanamaru felt she was, or was Hanamaru just sensitive? Hoping to hide the blush on her face, Hanamaru wandered around the aisles for a bit, leaving Dia at the counter. That was an endearing aspect of their relationship; no matter how old they got, they could still make each other blush like little schoolgirls.

 

Finally, Hanamaru picked out a book. It happened to be one of the few pieces of lesbian literature that they had in stock. It had vampires in it, and it was a bit cheesy, but it was flowery in its own way. Hanamaru brought it back to the counter and handed it to Dia, who looked at the back with raised eyebrows. “It fits the request,” Hanamaru responded.

 

“...You’re not wrong,” Dia mumbled. She handed it back to Hanamaru, who scanned it and bagged it as Dia swiped her card. Hanamaru waited for Dia to put her PIN number in, but Dia seemed to be staring at Hanamaru instead, with a stupid smile on her face. Hanamaru cleared her throat, and Dia laughed. “Sorry. I’m just...very proud of you.”

 

“For scanning a book?”

 

“I don’t know. I’m just happy that you’re happy,” Dia said. “I should come back and buy a book every day.”

 

Hanamaru handed Dia her purchase and stuck her tongue out. “That’s just your way of saying you’re gonna come babysit Maru all day, everyday! I got this job since you were always at work, you know. It really defeats the purpose if you don’t actually  _ go _ to work, zura!”

 

“Okay, okay,” Dia huffed. “I’ll get out of your hair. Have fun, okay?”

 

Dia patted Hanamaru’s head, like Hanamaru was a kid she was dropping off for daycare. Hanamaru had to admit that it felt nice... “See ya! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

 

“I ought to get you fired.”


	15. Family Visits

“Dia-chan, lighten up. She’s still your sister, you know.”

 

Dia sneered, and Hanamaru turned away. After all, she was having a rather good time, and she wasn’t going to let Dia’s salty jealousy ruin it. Ruby had somewhat picked up on Dia’s current state of mind, though, and she looked at Dia anxiously. “Onee-chan, are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I'm fine,” Dia replied, but her tone of voice said something completely different. It was rather cute, actually. Whenever Ruby came over, Dia adopted a pouty, envious tone. “Carry on.”

 

Hanamaru and Dia were sitting next to each other on the couch, with Ruby on the other side of Maru. She felt a little stuck, with Ruby feeling so awkward and Dia feeling so jealous. Hanamaru and Ruby had had a friendship way before Dia and Hanamaru had even realized their feelings for each other, and with Dia’s competitive nature, it was easy for her to feel like she was playing second fiddle. 

 

Hanamaru leaned to Dia’s side, pressing against her. As if Ruby hadn’t detected that Hanamaru was trying to lend some comfort, Ruby leaned over to Hanamaru, and Hanamaru reflexively wrapped her arm around Ruby’s waist. Dia huffed, and Hanamaru quickly wrapped her other arm around Dia.  _ It feels like I’m being tugged in two different directions,  _ Hanamaru thought, whining aloud. 

 

“I-I’ll go get us some snacks, zura,” Hanamaru said. 

 

Both Dia and Ruby pulled her down at the same time, and gave her the same sad look. It was easy to tell they were related, since they were both so needy, even if Dia wasn’t as open about it. “We’re fine,” Dia said.

 

Dia’s voice was laced with tension, but Ruby seemed to have gone completely oblivious to the situation. “We can eat later, Maru-chan. Let’s just talk! We’ve gotta catch up.”

 

Hanamaru sat back down, and Dia looked away with a sigh. She was really hard to please...usually, though, Hanamaru’s happiness was contagious. Hopefully she’d feel better if Hanamaru just carried on like normal. She started up a conversation, and Ruby gladly jumped in. It took a bit of prodding from Hanamaru for Dia to join in, but she finally began to speak, although a bit sorrowfully.

 

When the conversation finally died down, Ruby asked to go to the bathroom. Hanamaru scooted to the side for a bit so that she could see Dia’s face more clearly. Yes, that pout was definitely cute, but Maru still didn’t want her girlfriend to be uncomfortable. “Dia-chan...I love your sister in a different way than I love you.”

 

“I know that.”

 

“You sure aren’t acting like it, zura.” 

 

Dia looked at her feet. “I’m not jealous at all, but...sometimes it feels like you treat me exactly like you treat her.”

 

Hanamaru looked back at the hallway where the bathroom was. The scene was clear. She laid her hand on Dia’s thigh and leaned in again. Dia’s face heated up before Hanamaru even spoke. “There are a _lot_ of things I do with you that I wouldn’t do with Ruby-chan, you know. If you’re a good girl until she leaves, maybe I’ll show you.”

 

Dia looked at Hanamaru incredulously. “I...okay.”

 

“Okay?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Hanamaru pressed a light kiss to Dia’s lips. Ruby’s footsteps came down the hallway just as Hanamaru pulled away, and Dia placed her hand over her heart, presumably to calm herself down. “Onee-chan, you alright?” Ruby asked again, sitting on Hanamaru’s side.

 

Like a switch was flipped, Dia was all smiles. Hanamaru was certainly the master of seduction. She felt a little proud. “Just fine. I was a little under the weather, but I’m fine now.”

 

Hanamaru sat back as Dia and Ruby chatted excitedly, with Dia reaching behind Maru to pat Ruby’s head when Ruby said something that pleased her. Hanamaru was glad they were getting along, but...

 

_ Now I feel like the third wheel! _


	16. Trying Something New

Dia was so exhausted that she could hardly place the key in the lock to her and Hanamaru’s door. When she finally managed to turn the key and swing the door open, she was greeted by a sight that woke her right up. As soon as she stepped into the front door, she noticed that the couch was pushed all the way back from the wall. In its place were chairs. More amazingly, there was a huge comforter draped over the top of the chairs, secured with some knots. Beneath the makeshift rooftop was a mattress, which could only be the one from Hanamaru and Dia’s bed, and Hanamaru was seated atop it, reading a book.

 

Dia slammed the door loud enough for Hanamaru to jump. Hanamaru smiled and waved, and Dia sighed. Dia was glad that Hanamaru had gotten the job at the bookstore, because the new job usually prevented situations like the one Dia was facing that was completely made from boredom. There was no stopping Hanamaru on the weekends, though, when she was off and Dia was still working. “I know you’re about to ask what this is, zura,” Hanamaru said, closing her book around her thumb. “But there’s only two words I can use to describe it:  _ really _ awesome.”

 

“Or:  _ really _ childish.”

 

Despite her protests, Dia took her shoes off and climbed under with Hanamaru. When she looked closer, she saw that there were still some snacks that had been left untouched, miraculously. Dia opened a package of chocolate chip cookies, popping one into her mouth. “Isn’t it cozy under here?” 

 

There were a bunch of pillows, more than they even had on their bed. Dia laid back into one, and Hanamaru grinned. “It’s fine,” Dia said, reaching for another cookie. “But when are we gonna move the mattress back to the room?”

 

“Let’s sleep here for the whole weekend, zura! It’s so comfy. I’ve been in here all day!”

 

It was a nice surprise, once Dia got settled in. They read Hanamaru’s book together until Dia decided to get changed into her pajamas. She was far too tired to make Hanamaru drag the mattress back to the room, so she ended up snuggled up to Hanamaru’s side, shaded by the blanket overhead. There was a nice, nostalgic feeling to it, reminding Dia of the times when she’d build pillow forts with Ruby.

 

For once, Dia was the first one to feel drowsy. Hanamaru laughed, even though she sounded a little sleepy herself. “I guess this little fort is too cozy for Dia-chan, huh?” 

 

“We’re moving the mattress back Monday,” Dia said, right before she fell asleep.


	17. Kisses

“Hanamaru...time to wake up.” Hanamaru responded with a grunt. She had hoped that they had been together long enough for Dia to know that that particular grunt meant “let me rest”. However, Dia either didn't get the hint or chose to ignore it, because she tapped Hanamaru's shoulder. “Wake up, or else!”

 

Hanamaru opened her eyes just enough to see Dia’s miffed expression, then closed them again. “Or else what, zura?”

 

Then, she felt a tentative warmth pressed against her forehead...Dia’s lips. Hanamaru had to stop herself from opening her eyes. After all, if she did, it was unlikely that she'd get more kisses. She laid there, trying not to giggle as Dia gave her kiss after kiss, shifting to Maru’s flushed cheeks.  _ Am I Sleeping Beauty, now...? _

 

The beauty was tired of sleeping, though. When Hanamaru finally felt Dia’s lips slipping closer to hers, she reached up and gripped Dia’s shoulder before lifting her head to peck Dia on the lips.

 

Dia sat back, and Hanamaru opened her eyes, smirking. “Are you up now?” Dia was a bit embarrassed by Hanamaru's kiss ambush, just as Hanamaru had intended. An embarrassed Dia was a cute Dia.

 

“Hmm. Come kiss me again, just to make sure.”


	18. Hugs

Hanamaru stopped in her tracks in the hallway when she heard the clanging of dishes in the sink. She peeked around the corner, looking into the kitchen. Dia was standing at the sink, cleaning up after dinner...and oh-so unsuspecting. Hanamaru’s socked feet were quiet on the carpet, thankfully, but once she got onto the kitchen’s tile floor, she had to be a bit more careful. However, Dia still couldn’t hear her tiptoeing in. She was too focused on scrubbing one particular fork, no doubt cleaning it until it shimmered like a diamond.

 

That was just fine with Hanamaru, because it gave her ample time to sneak closer and closer without Dia even noticing. Only a couple more steps...

 

With a little pounce, Hanamaru hugged Dia from behind, squeezing her so tight that the fork dropped into the sink. Dia chuckled lowly and turned around to face Hanamaru’s front, hugging her back. “I caught you, Dia-chan,” Hanamaru sang.

 

“You certainly have me caught,” Dia said. She used to be grumpy when Hanamaru hug-attacked her (especially when Kanan joined in), but she came to like them after a while. It became a little bit of a competition, though, solely because Dia was involved. It turned less into Hanamaru surprising Dia with cute hugs and more of a series of spy missions dedicated to ambushing the other with love and snuggles. “But, don’t worry. You’re going to wake up to the biggest hug of your life in the morning.”

 

“Then I’ll just wake up first, zura!”

 

Dia scoffed. “You? Forfeiting sleep  _ and _ a nice hug? I must have stepped into an alternate universe.”

 

Hanamaru nuzzled Dia’s chest with her face. Dia had a soft but sturdy frame. She wasn’t much; she was very skinny, almost like a dandelion, but there was something that was more inward than outward that made Hanamaru feel secure. “Hmm...you win this round, Dia-chan.”

 

“I always win,” Dia said, a bit arrogantly. With a bit of soap still on her finger, Dia booped Hanamaru on the nose.

 

“I still win, though! Because I get to get tight hugs from Dia-chan every day,” Hanamaru said.

 

Dia seemed undeterred, no matter how obviously cute Hanamaru’s statement was. “If that’s what helps you sleep at night. I’m still the real winner, anyway...”


	19. Forgetting Something

Dia’s heart was going a mile a minute as she called Hanamaru’s phone for the fifty-seventh time—she had counted—hoping that she would pick up. Dia was definitely wasting valuable work hours, but there was no helping it. Dia had done her routine call back home as soon as she arrived at work, letting Hanamaru know that she had arrived safely, but she hadn’t gotten any response. In fact, Hanamaru had  _ ignored _ the calls a couple of times; the ringing was too short for it to have gone to her voicemail naturally, but too long for her phone to have been off. Dia suddenly regretted teaching her how to do that.

 

Whatever Hanamaru was doing, she seemed determined to let Dia know she didn’t want to be bothered. Of course, to Dia, that was a green-light to bother her as much as possible. Hoping to catch Hanamaru off-guard, Dia called Hanamaru from her desk phone. She rarely used it for personal calls, so hopefully she’d go unrecognized...

 

And Maru picked up. “Hello! This is Maru-chan, zu-”

 

“Hanamaru!”

 

“Oh.” Hanamaru made a weird little noise. “What do you want?”

 

Dia pulled the phone away from her ear and gave it a look, as if that would fix the unfamiliar tone coming out of it. Then, she put it back to her head and said, “I  _ want _ to speak to my wife, please.”

 

“Well,  _ I’d _ like a kiss from mine, zura!” Dia sighed and made a puckering sound with her lips into the mic. Hanamaru huffed. “No. Not like that! Okay, think back to this morning. Retrace your every step.”

 

Dia found the command a bit odd, but she did it anyway. She woke up and made breakfast for her and Hanamaru, same as always. Then they both washed up, same as always. Dia had a bit of down time in the morning before she had to leave, so she slowly got dressed while watching the news, same as always...then Hanamaru walked her to the door and handed her her bag and keys, same as always...then she kissed Hanamaru on the cheek before leaving out of the door, same as-

 

Wait.

 

_ Did _ she give Hanamaru a kiss?

 

“Damn it. I forgot to kiss you on the cheek.”

 

“Yeah! You sure did! Maru-chan doesn’t wanna talk right now! Leave a message at the tone! Beep!”

 

“Look, I’m sorry. But did you really have to ignore upwards of  _ fifty _ calls from me just because of a stupid kiss-”

 

Dia heard Hanamaru blow a raspberry into the receiver. “It’s  _ not _ stupid, zura! I don’t get to see you all day...and you don’t even call me until you’re on your way home! All I want is a little kiss, and you forget that? That’s worthy of the silent treatment!”

 

Hanamaru had an interesting way of dealing with things...but at least Dia never got bored. “Sorry, sorry. But how long am I on silent punishment?” Hanamaru didn’t respond. Dia scowled. “Seriously?! At least tell me how long this is going to last!” Nothing. A little reverse psychology would do the trick... “Well, if you’re not going to say anything, at least hang up.”

 

Dia heard a dial tone.


	20. A Heated Argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna do actual arguing but man they don't deserve that

Hanamaru stared down the white abyss of her cup for what felt like her millionth hour. Dia was still in front of her, arms folded. When Hanamaru looked at the clock, she realized that they had only been sitting there for two minutes.

 

“Dia-chan, this is dumb. I’m an adult, zura,” Hanamaru said. She was still squishy and cute like a baby, but she certainly wasn’t one. “It doesn’t matter if I drink milk or not!”

 

“That’s where you’re wrong! You need a strong sense of calcium throughout your whole life, and milk provides that better than anything. No wife of mine will have weak bones,” Dia insisted. She shoved the glass a little closer to Hanamaru. Milk. A whole cup of milk. Hanamaru leaned in and sniffed it, and felt all of her internal organs curl up at the odor. How could anybody  _ consume _ that willingly? Dia must have saw Hanamaru cringing, because she rolled her eyes. “You’re over-exaggerating.”

 

She certainly wasn’t. The very  _ sight _ of milk made her nauseous. Dia was out of her mind if she thought Hanamaru would drink it. Hanamaru shoved the glass away from her so hard that some of the milk spilled onto the table. Dia could lick it up, if she thought milk was  _ that _ great! “No! Way! I hate milk, and I’m not drinking it. I could name a zillion things you should or shouldn’t be eating, Dia-chan! I have to drink milk, but you can eat a bunch of pudding?!”

 

“It doesn’t matter if I eat a bunch of pudding!” Dia paused. “And I don’t even eat that much, for that matter! Either way, I eat healthy enough most of the time to balance out any unhealthy habits I have-”

 

“But you hate exercising, too,” Hanamaru argued. “And you don’t eat fruit that often! Whenever I’m eating mikan and ask if you want some, you say no!”

 

Dia was obviously stunned by Hanamaru’s vehement response, but she had a few words to say herself. “N-nonsense! I may despise exercising, but I still do it! Sometimes I’m on my feet all day at work-”

  
“But work makes you stressed, which makes your health go bad! A-and sometimes you don’t even get enough sleep! That doesn’t sound very  _ healthy _ to me, Dia-chan!” Dia was finally argued into silence. Hanamaru slid the glass over to Dia, who looked at it with a questioning face. “You need it more than me. Drink up, Dia-chan!”


	21. Road Trip

It was rare that Dia fully succumbed to Hanamaru’s impulses, but for once, Dia was on board with one of Hanamaru’s ideas. Hanamaru had read a romantic novel about a couple taking off across the country, driving aimlessly until they “found themselves”. Her and Dia didn’t  _ exactly _ fit the bill, since Dia demanded that they have a GPS and the couple in the book was a heterosexual couple, but it was close enough for Hanamaru to feel like it was authentic. 

 

“I guess we can drive a little bit longer and then find a hotel,” Dia said. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but Hanamaru knew she was just excited about the trip as Maru herself. Dia had spent weeks planning, even though that kind of defeated the purpose of the trip. She had gotten Hanamaru up at four in the morning so that they could leave out in whichever direction they pleased. It only took an hour of driving until they were in unfamiliar territory. Sure, there were some cities they had  _ heard _ of, but none they had actually visited. Every now and then, they got out of the car to “stretch their legs”, which was really them walking around various shopping centers and running up Dia’s credit card bill (and of course, getting lots of food for Maru from stands).

 

The day quickly seemed to fall away from them. They took turns driving, and the other was navigating. While Dia preferred to look at the car’s GPS and decide where to go, Hanamaru was telling Dia to make turns wherever she pleased. It was quite fun on both of their parts; it was fun for Hanamaru because she got to have that sense of excitement, and fun for Dia because...well, because she got to boss somebody around.

 

After a while, though, they finally got tired of driving and taking turns. Hanamaru pointed Dia in a million different directions to look for a hotel before Dia finally pulled out Google Maps and called it a day. As Dia drove to the hotel, Hanamaru gazed out of the window, watching the sunset. The sky was a beautiful clash of colors. It felt like they were driving towards the sunset... “This was the best day ever, Dia-chan. Can we do it again tomorrow? Please?”

 

“We’re heading back home first thing tomorrow,” Dia said. Hanamaru groaned. “We  _ both _ have to work on Monday. Maybe we can make this a thing we do every now and again. After all, it’ll lose it’s gloss if we do it all of the time, right?”

 

“I don’t think so. There’s so much of the world to explore that it can never get old, zura,” Hanamaru said. “And we only went inside Japan today! Next time we take a vacation out of the country, as soon as our plane touches down, we should just get in a car and go, go, go!”

 

They pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, which kind of dismantled the fantasy Hanamaru had been living. She was tired, though...there was a lot of energy put into staring out of the window for hours and singing along to the radio. “Okay. We’ll make a list of places where we want to go. Next time we make an itinerary—” Dia really did know how to use the most boring words possible, Hanamaru thought— “we can leave a day open just for wandering around.”

 

Hanamaru looked over and Dia and smiled. Hanamaru was far from an outdoorsy kind of person, but she wouldn’t mind roaming every countryside on Earth if Dia was by her side. “Okay. Promise, zura?”

 

“Promise. And you can play navigator the whole time.” Hanamaru’s face lit up, and a sudden look of fear came over Dia’s. “Okay. Never mind. Not the whole time. But most of it.”

 

“Good enough! We’re gonna drive all over Japan and have a spiritual journey until we find ourselves, zura,” Hanamaru declared.

 

Dia groaned and banged her head on the steering wheel.


	22. Picnic

“Dia-chan, does this park look familiar?”

 

Dia had been wondering why Hanamaru was giggling as they set up their blanket in the grass, with Hanamaru playfully feeding Dia fruit. Dia was getting the distinct feeling that she was missing something, and finally, Hanamaru was telling her what it was...or, was she? “No, not really,” Dia said. It should have been familiar, since it was in Uchiura, but Dia had no memory of going to it.

 

Hanamaru rolled her eyes and laughed even harder. Dia asked what she had meant by it being familiar, but Hanamaru simply ate one of the sandwiches that Dia had made and stared at Dia with a pleasant look on her face. Dia knew not to bother Hanamaru while she was eating, but she was curious. Finally, Hanamaru finished her sandwich, crust and all, even though Dia couldn’t stand the thought of eating bread crusts. “Aqours had a picnic here. Remember? It wasn’t too long after we first became a group.”

 

“Y-you really expected me to remember that...?” It  _ did _ sound a little familiar, when Dia thought about it. Hanamaru had really picked that same location for them to picnic at, almost two decades later...? Was there any significance, or was it just to poke fun at Dia’s memory? She remembered it, though, after a bit of recollection. Riko was blowing bubbles, and Yoshiko had gotten her food stolen by a bird, so Chika split her hoagie in half and shared it. Yes, Dia remembered...

 

“I remember every moment we had with Aqours, zura,” Hanamaru said, sounding slightly offended. Then, she got a romantic look in her eyes again. “But the picnic was something special.” Hanamaru picked up a banana, peeled it, took a bite, then pointed it in the direction of two trees. “Ruby-chan was sleeping on a hammock, right over there.”

 

“That’s an impressive memory you’ve got there. Why can you never remember to take the trash out when I ask you to?”

 

Hanamaru flushed. “That’s not the point, zura! But, you remember, right?”

 

Dia squinted at the trees. “Hm...yes, I think so. You two were over there by yourselves, right? And you tossed those flower petals all over her...”

 

“Yup! But that’s not important. What’s important is that I told her a secret, while she was sleeping,” Hanamaru said. “And I made her promise not to tell...just in case she heard it while she was dreaming, zura.”

 

That sounded like a very Hanamaru thing to do. “What was the secret?”

 

“I hid a body in the park, of course.”

 

“That’s not funny.” 

 

“Okay, okay. Well...” Hanamaru was suddenly shy, fiddling with her banana peel after devouring the fruit inside it. “I dunno. You were sitting on the grass reading a book. And I looked at you. And the wind picked up just a little bit, zura, and made your hair go over your face in this really gorgeous kind of way...you looked like a work of art. Something I’d see in a museum. And I really felt something, looking at you. It was probably love, right?” Hanamaru laughed, but Dia was simply too dumbstruck to respond. Dia had been the one to confess her love first, and perhaps there was always a part of her that believed that Hanamaru never pined like Dia pined. But, all of a sudden, she was just  _ admitting  _ to it. “I was a little overwhelmed. Maru usually only gets feelings like that from books. So I turned to Ruby-chan and said, ‘I think your sister’s a goddess’. And then I blushed until my face was on fire, zura!”

 

After that, Hanamaru went into a full on chuckle, laughing at her past self. Dia, meanwhile, was struggling to find words. “S-so...you brought me back here to tell me this, right? Is it symbolic, in a way, for you?”

 

“Huh? Oh, no. I just remembered that when we got here,” Hanamaru said. Dia deflated. “My memory isn’t  _ that _ good, zura. I can’t help wondering if Ruby-chan heard me, though...”

 

“I doubt she heard you,” Dia said. She paused, then took a deep breath. She hated being flustered, but Hanamaru was so honest that it was hard not to get a little tripped up sometimes. “But...I’m glad you told me, at the very least. It’s nice to know what you think about me.”

 

“There are a  _ lot _ of things that I thought about you that I wouldn’t say out loud, zura. Not even to somebody who was asleep,” Hanamaru said.

 

Dia scowled and shoved a strawberry into Hanamaru’s mouth, who giggled around it.


	23. Double Date

“Maru-chan, you’re glowing! Don’t tell me you and Dia-chan are going to have some babies?!” 

 

Dia felt exhausted as soon as she sat down at the table. Double dates with Mari and Yoshiko were always disasters in her eyes, but Hanamaru was right at home. Maru accepted a tight hug from Mari and forced a squeeze on Yoshiko before sitting down next to Dia. “Not quite yet, zura. Guess I’m just happy! We haven’t seen you two in a while!”

 

_ Thank goodness we haven’t, _ Dia thought. If she was lucky, Mari would get them kicked out of the restaurant again. She seemed to be a bit docile, though, for once. “We’ve been busy,” Mari said, sighing. “With the kid and all.”

 

“Oh, she’s so cute,” Hanamaru squealed. “Dia-chan showed me the pictures you put on your Tweeter! How old is she now?” Dia couldn’t find it in her to correct Hanamaru.

 

“A year in two weeks,” Yoshiko said. She looked rather proud of herself. Dia supposed she ought to be. It was a miracle that the baby had survived, although Dia knew it was a bit tasteless to admit... “We’ll invite you to the party.”

 

Dia groaned inwardly. She knew what was coming next... “Mm-hm! Maybe that’ll launch Dia-chan into a bout of baby fever,” Mari cooed. She reached across the table and pinched Dia’s cheek, and Dia slapped her hand away.

 

“I’ll have you know that Hanamaru and I are not in the position to be parents right now,” Dia said. It was a rehearsed response to a topic that was brought up all too often.

 

Hanamaru pouted. “I think we’re as ready as ever, zura! If Yoshiko-chan and Mari-chan can be parents, then we  _ definitely _ can.”

 

“Way to take a jab at us, Zuramaru.”

 

Mari rolled her eyes. “You make it sound like it’s  _ hard, _ Dia-chan.”

 

“I-it is! Baby puke, and vaccinations, and school, and...whatever. Our waiter is coming. Let’s just order our food,” Dia grumbled. 

 

“Why don’t you order some  _ baby _ carrots?” Mari said. Hanamaru nudged Dia with her shoulder, and Dia hissed through her teeth. At the very least, Yoshiko didn’t seem to be joining in on Mari and Hanamaru’s baby fever nonsense. Dia never thought Yoshiko’d be her only ally...

 

Or, maybe Yoshiko wasn’t an ally after all. “Our little demon  _ could _ use a new playmate, Dia. There’s no doubt that offspring from you and Zuramaru would be suitable.”

 

Dia briefly entertained the thought of imagining her and Hanamaru’s future children, and it made her warm, but she brushed the feeling off. “No baby carrots for me,” she declared.

 

(Mari asked the waiter for a side dish of carrots anyway.)


	24. Shopping (For Fun)

Dia looked down into the multiple bags she was carrying with her, examining the items in each one. Hanamaru wasn’t difficult to shop for, but it was a little hard to maintain originality when Dia didn’t have a broad scope of interests to buy things for. She had gotten some books (including one with dessert recipes in it), an old time-y inkwell and quill, a group of glass figurines of woodland creatures, and a cheap camera, since Hanamaru had suddenly taken up an interest in photography. That was the thing with her; if she ever took up new interests, it wasn’t long before she stopped caring and whatever gifts Dia bought for her were deemed to be null and void.

 

A trip to the mall had been Hanamaru’s idea, but the idea to spice things up with competition was Dia’s. Their mission was simple: go into the mall with fifteen thousand yen and see who could get the best gifts. It was unclear how the winner would be determined, but everybody would be a winner, in a way (but Dia was sure she would be the  _ actual _ winner).

 

She was sitting at their meeting spot, a fountain in the middle of the mall. Hanamaru liked to take her time to do things, rather than going Dia’s way and getting the task done as quickly as possible. Dia lounged around a bit, and when Hanamaru sent a text saying she was on her way, rushed to a nearby food stand to get them parfaits. 

 

Surprisingly, Dia  _ heard _ Hanamaru coming, just slightly over the din of the shopping mall. It sounded like someone was rolling a cart. Dia turned around, only to see that Hanamaru was pushing a double stroller.

 

It had two teddy bears in it.

 

Dia was astonished. Hanamaru had no other bags. Dia came closer, dropping her own bags and crouching to see the teddy bears at eye level. One was bright red and one was pale yellow. The yellow one had a white dress on as well as a crown, and the red one was wearing a tuxedo and the same crown. Inexplicably, the red one had a black beauty mark by its lip that looked like it had been drawn by a permanent marker. 

 

“I win, zura,” Hanamaru said. “Build-a-Bear is the best!”

 

“They sell double strollers at Build-a-Bear?” That was one of many questions that Dia had, but the first one that came out of her mouth.

 

“Uh...no.” Bashfully, Hanamaru admitted, “I didn’t wanna push two strollers, zura, so I just ran across the mall and bought this.”

 

There was some dedication to be admired, there. Dia was  _ sure _ they had regular bags she could have carried them in, though. “Do you mind explaining these a bit more...?”

 

As Dia straightened the crowns tediously, Hanamaru said, “Well, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make you a bear of you, so you’d have a mini-me, or a bear of me, so you’d never be alone! I thought and thought and thought...and then I told the manager there that I was getting a bear for someone special, and she gave me two for the price of one! So now bear you and bear me will never be alone, and you won’t be alone either, zura! Now, go give my bear a lil’ squeeze.”

 

“Implying that inanimate objects can feel alone,” Dia mumbled. She gingerly picked up the Maru bear from its side of the stroller, looking at it. At Hanamaru’s insistence, Dia gave the bear a squeeze around the torso. She felt her fingers touch a hard object at its core, and she squeezed harder. From inside came an only slightly muffled recording of Hanamaru saying “I love you, Dia-chan”.

 

Hanamaru giggled, jumping up and down. “See?! It’s really the future! I didn’t know you could record your own sounds! Yours just goes ‘roar’-”

 

“You win.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“You win,” Dia said, bluntly. She handed Hanamaru her bags of gifts, then quickly hugged the bear back to her chest. It really did feel like she had another Hanamaru... “Although, this is so cute that it’s almost cheating.”

 

“ _You’re_ so cute that _you’re_ almost cheating!”

 

Dia rolled her eyes as Hanamaru picked up the Dia bear and folded up the stroller before sitting down and rummaging through her gifts. “Cheating at what?”

 

“Cheating at life, zura." Dia couldn't help but smile at that. Hanamaru went straight for the woodland creatures. They seemed like junk to Dia, but Hanamaru was instantly infatuated. "Ooh! Look at this little glass hummingbird! It’s so cute!” Hanamaru cradled it to her cheek. For some reason, Dia instinctively held her bear tighter. “I still win, though.”

 

“Yes, yes...you win this time.”


	25. Keeping Plants

_ Thank goodness it rained... _

 

Hanamaru wasn’t sure who was more invested in the garden: her or Dia. It was probably Hanamaru, who treated the rosebush like her own child. Dia seemed happy to watch it grow, taking pictures every now and then so that they could see how much it had grown. As of late, though, the plant had seemed to be “half-dead” (in Dia’s words) and “sad” (in Hanamaru’s). They watered it, tried new soil, and even looked to the internet for possible remedies, but nothing availed.

 

However, a bout of rain had swept through Japan for a day or two, and Hanamaru and Dia were pleased to see that the roses on the bush were starting to look vibrant again, thorns and all. There was still a light drizzle, so Dia held the umbrella while Hanamaru looked at the roses, running her fingers over the petals.

 

“Looks like our water wasn’t good enough for you, zura! Glad the rain could help,” Hanamaru said.

 

“I’ve heard that talking to plants helps them grow. Singing, too.”

 

Hanamaru looked up at Dia, grinning smugly. “Are you sure you’re not saying that just because you wanna hear me sing?” Dia didn’t respond, so Hanamaru turned back to the roses. A slug was crawling across a leaf, so Hanamaru picked it up and set it down on the grass so it wouldn’t prick itself on a thorn. “Okay. Maru will sing you a little song, so make sure you grow nice and tall!”

 

Hanamaru glanced up at Dia and saw her smiling. Hanamaru was sure by then that Dia had an ulterior motive for asking Hanamaru to sing. But she sang a song anyway, a lullaby, watching rain drip off of the rose petals until she was sure they would grow.


	26. Doctor Visits

Hanamaru flipped through another magazine, trying to find a bit of celebrity gossip that caught her eye. Ruby kept her caught up on most of it, but there were still a couple of interesting things she picked up. However, within five minutes, she was done with the last magazine in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. 

 

_ Dia-chan’s taking an awfully long time, if she’s just getting a tetanus shot... _

 

As if on cue, Dia came back out into the waiting room, her left sleeve rolled up. She seemed frazzled, as she always did after getting shots. However, there seemed to be no evidence of her actually getting one. Her elbow looked untouched. She walked over to Hanamaru, her pace urgent. 

 

“Come back into the examination room,” Dia said. 

 

Hanamaru immediately panicked. “Wh-why? What happened, zura? Is there something wrong-”

 

“No, nothing’s wrong!” Dia looked frustrated, her cheeks pink and her lips turned downward. “Come with me, please.”

 

Dia turned around and walked back into the room just as quickly as she came. The entirety of the waiting room was staring at them by then. Hanamaru smiled nervously at everyone who was looking and scuttled after Dia, shutting the door behind her once she reached the examination room. The doctor was standing there, needle in hand, with a kind smile on his face. “All ready?”

 

Dia wordlessly jumped on the examination table, then patted the spot next to her. Hanamaru was starting to get an idea of what was going on. “Aww. You need Maru-chan to hold your hand?”

 

Hanamaru sat next to Dia, who growled, “Don’t touch me. Just...sit there and be comforting.”

 

Dia had claimed she didn’t need her hand held, but as soon as the needle touched her skin, her hand darted out, searching frantically for some part of Hanamaru to hold onto. Hanamaru caught Dia’s hand, but instantly regretted it. Dia had a hell of a grip. “Th-that kind of hurts, zura-”

 

“Well, this  _ shot  _ hurts!  _ You _ try having a needle stuck in your arm!  _ God, _ is it not done yet?! It’s been in there forever,” Dia spat.

 

Hanamaru could see the doctor trying not to laugh, finally pulling the needle out of Dia’s arm. Dia’s grip remained tight.  _ My hand is starting to go numb! _ “All done,” the doctor said. He cleaned off the patch of skin on Dia’s arm and gently placed a bandage on it, but Dia flinched as if he had punctured her all over again.

 

“That was awful. Just terrible.”

 

“I know, I know,” Hanamaru cooed. “Poor baby, zura. I hope they have a lollipop for you. You’re a brave little soldier!”


	27. Pets

“Gee...Mari-chan really fattened this kitty up.”

 

“Fattened” was an understatement. Dia felt like her circulation was being cut off by the cat in her lap. As if he heard himself being insulted, he looked up at Hanamaru and meowed, long and drawn out. Then, he lowered his head again, as if he couldn’t bother to keep it held up. 

 

Dia petted him. Although he certainly could have used a diet, he was docile and friendly. Best of all, he was content to go his own way if needed. That was exactly the kind of pet Dia wanted. “Let’s get a cat, Hanamaru.”

 

“No way,” Hanamaru said. Dia wondered if her stubbornness was rubbing off on Hanamaru... “If we get a pet, it’ll be a dog, zura!”

 

Dia sucked her teeth. “When we dogsat for Chika-san, you said dogs were boring.”

 

“Did not. I said Shiitake-kun was boring, because he’s all old. If we get a puppy, it’ll be tons of fun,” Hanamaru gushed. “Sparkle-kun may be cute and chubby but he doesn’t do anything.”

 

“If Mari-san can have fun with a cat, I’m sure you can find a way.” Sparkle really  _ didn’t _ do anything, though. Mari had brought a whole basket of toys for him, but any effort to interest him in one went ignored. Dia didn’t mind. At least it wasn’t a dog, endlessly squeaking its toy or gnawing loudly on a bone. 

 

Hanamaru poked Sparkle’s nose boredly, and he lazily licked her finger. That didn’t even earn a smile. Hanamaru groaned. “Let’s get a Corgi, Dia-chan.”

 

“No.”

 

“Chihuahua.”

 

“No.”

 

“Shiba inu.”

 

“We’re not getting a dog.” 

 

Hanamaru crossed her arms, obviously upset, while Dia stroked Sparkle’s back placidly. “Let’s meet in the middle and get a guinea pig. They’re excited like a puppy, but not invasive.” Dia gave Hanamaru a disgusted look, her face drawn up. “What? Are you too stuck up for rodents?”

 

“Call it what you want. If one of those little beasts gets out, it’ll be hell to find it. Absolutely not,” Dia said. Sparkle began to vibrate beneath her fingers, purring loudly as she pet him. “But, I really do adore this cat. Mari-san might not get him back from me.”

 

Hanamaru huffed. “She’s  _ definitely _ getting him back.”


	28. Vacation

Dia stirred from her dozing state when she felt a light tickle at her feet. She briefly tried to guess what the sensation was. She was laying far enough from the coast that the water wouldn’t reach her. She hadn’t felt a breeze, so there wasn’t an accidental sweeping of sand onto her feet. After exhausting all of her options, Dia finally lifted her head a bit and opened her eyes. There was Hanamaru, at her feet, with a bucket of sand, some of which was covering Dia’s feet. 

 

“Seriously...”

 

Hanamaru grinned. She looked as bright as the sun was on the beach that day. Best of all, she looked happy with herself. Dia had been trying to convince Hanamaru to wear a two-piece bathing suit for a while, and it seemed like all of her hard work had paid off. Dia couldn’t help but smile at how stunning her wife looked...even if she about to be buried alive. “I’ve always wanted to try this, zura,” Hanamaru said. She dumped some more sand on Dia, up to her calves.

 

“The point of a vacation is to go back home afterwards. That’ll be a little difficult if I’m buried in sand.”

 

“You can bury me next, if that’d make you feel better.”

 

“How can I do that if I’m...” Dia sighed and laid back in the sand, closing her eyes. It was fun to relax a little bit. And Hanamaru seemed to be enjoying herself. “Just don’t cover anything above the neck.”


	29. House Cleaning

The only part of tidying up that was worse than the laundry was vacuuming. Hanamaru tried to put up the same debate that she always had: a broom was just as good. However, when it came to the carpet, Dia refused to budge. The vacuum was inevitable. 

 

Dia stood and watched with her arms folded. Hanamaru wondered if she was a sadist. After all, who else would watch their loved one suffer with not a hint of remorse? “The floor won’t vacuum itself,” Dia said, waving her hand at the floor.

 

Hanamaru whimpered and released the handle of the vacuum cleaner as if it were burning through her skin. “Dia-chan, the floor looks clean,” Hanamaru groaned. “I hate the vacuum cleaner!”

 

“I don’t see why. You love those little hand dryers in public bathrooms,” Dia said. She began to unwrap the cord of the vacuum cleaner, and Hanamaru stepped away. She was terrified of being swallowed up by the electronic beast that Dia had so eagerly released from their closet.

 

“That’s different. Those blow out air. This thing sucks everything up,” Hanamaru stood back against the wall as Dia plugged the vacuum’s cord into the outlet, sighing. 

 

“I don’t think you’ve ever used it by yourself. Every time, I end up vacuuming instead.” Although she was complaining, Dia still turned the vacuum cleaner on and started to mow it over the carpet of the bedroom. Hanamaru squealed and dove onto the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest. The whirr of the machine was far too loud, and the way it consumed every bit of unwanted debris on the floor was far from natural. 

 

Dia shook her head at Hanamaru’s response, but Hanamaru didn’t care. “If it sucks me up, you’ll be real sorry, Dia-chan!”

 

“Oh? Will I?” Dia stopped moving the vacuum cleaner. She fiddled with an attachment on the side, and Hanamaru watched fearfully, frozen like a deer in headlights. With a quick movement of her hand, Dia pulled the hose out of the vacuum cleaner and pointed it at Hanamaru like a gun. Hanamaru screeched in terror.  _ Technology has gone too far! _ “How about if it sucks you up like this?!”

 

Hanamaru managed to get under the covers, screaming as Dia poked and prodded her through the fabric of the blanket. Her yells of terror turned into giggles at the feeling of the suction, and by the time Dia turned the vacuum cleaner off, she was breathless from laughing. She came out from her hiding spot and stuck her tongue out. “I mean it. You’re gonna be really sad if I get swallowed up!”

 

“Then how about you take this hose from me and vacuum the floor yourself?”

 

“Nice try, zura.”


	30. "I Love You"s

Another day was coming to a close. The house seemed to stretch out and yawn before shrinking into itself, signifying the beginning of bedtime. The living room TV was turned off, the lights were turned off, teeth were brushed, and baths were taken. 

 

And through all of it, Dia and Hanamaru didn’t say a word to each other.

 

It was unsettling to Hanamaru. She was used to the days of them being all over each other, cuddling on the couch and smooching back and forth. Some days, though, Dia came home from work so tired that she was like a zombie. She always worked hard, but sometimes, everything hit her at once. Those were the days that left Hanamaru panicking, wondering what to do. Dia would be up and at ‘em the next day, but Hanamaru would worry anyway. 

 

Hanamaru was already in bed when Dia came out of the bathroom, her eyes half shut and her feet dragging. She dropped into bed without bothering to pull the covers over her body. Hanamaru couldn’t help but smile. With a bit of work, she pulled the blankets from beneath Dia’s body and draped them over her. Dia mumbled, “I needed you today...”

 

“Hm? For what?”

 

“I don’t know.” Hanamaru looked down at Dia. For the first time that night, Dia met her gaze. “Sometimes...I just sit at my desk, and think, ‘I don’t want to be here. I want to be with my wife’. I like working, but sometimes I wonder if that’s really what I want to do. Sometimes I just want to be with you and do nothing else, and it hurts...it’s a curse. And as soon as I think about all of the time that I can't spend with you, it ruins the time that I  _can_ spend with you."

 

Hanamaru looked down at Dia’s sad, tired eyes, then laid down next to her so that she could give Dia a kiss on the forehead. Dia was blinking fast and hard, the kinds of blinks that Hanamaru saw when Dia was trying to hold back tears. “Sometimes I miss you, too. But you’re always going to come home to me, Dia-chan. Even if the days are long, I’ll still be here.”

 

Dia snuggled up to Hanamaru, burying her face in the top of Hanamaru’s head. “I love you, Hanamaru. Say it back? Please?”

 

“So needy, Dia-chan. You didn’t even give me a chance to say it back, zura...” Dia pulled back and gave Hanamaru a sour look. Hanamaru smiled. “I love you, too. And don’t you forget it. How about I record myself saying it, so you can listen to it whenever you want?”

 

“Do that,” Dia said. Hanamaru wasn’t sure if the joke had went over Dia’s head or not, but she was deadly serious. “I expect to see it in my email tomorrow morning.”

 

“Don’t worry, Dia-chan. It’ll be there.”


	31. Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise!
> 
> or maybe not.

“Dia-chan? What are you doing in here?”

 

Dia started, her heavy eyelids shooting up when she saw Hanamaru standing at the door to the nursery. Her eyes went to the crib, where Miyu slept soundly. After seeing that Miyu was alright, Dia sank back into her chair, then shrugged. “Just checking in.”

 

There were two chairs in the nursery: a comfortable armchair for Dia, and a rocking chair that Hanamaru had claimed as her own for when she was nursing. Dia got up and moved to her chair, since she had been comfortably swaying in Hanamaru’s. Hanamaru peeked into the crib as well, then sat next to Dia. “‘Just checking in’, huh? Y’know...I woke up at midnight and saw that you weren’t in bed, but I thought you had gone to the bathroom, so I went back to sleep.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“But it’s three in the morning, now, zura.”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“...Have you seriously been sitting here for three hours?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hanamaru laughed. Dia looked over at her. She still looked a little tired, but Dia couldn’t fathom how exhausting carrying a child must have been. Carrying, birthing, feeding...no, Dia couldn’t fathom it at all. How Hanamaru managed to be so calm throughout the whole process, Dia hadn’t the foggiest idea. “Respect” was the word for it. Dia respected that kind of strength. “You should go to bed. You haven’t been sleeping.”

 

“I know...but...i-it just feels like the moment I’m not around, something will happen. And that’s when I’ll regret everything.” Dia stood, dragging her tired feet over to the crib. Hanamaru moved to stand next to her. Both of them held their breath for a moment, watching as Miyu shuffled her feet in her sleep.  _ Can she dream, yet? What would she dream about? Us? _ The nursery certainly felt very dreamy. The mobile was still turning, and Dia was afraid to turn the lights on for fear of hurting Miyu’s brand new eyes, so the only light coming in was from the moon through the window. “She’s so small.”

 

“Average, Dia-chan. Average.”

 

“I know the  _ doctor _ said that, but...are you sure she’s big enough? And sometimes she does this weird little noise, it concerns me-”

 

“You mean when she sneezed, zura?”

 

“No! That wasn’t a sneeze, I mean it...” Hanamaru’s laugh was so infectious that Dia couldn’t help joining in, but they both quieted when Miyu shifted. Miyu’s breathing was slow, even...she was so calm and serene that it made Dia  _ anxious. _ “Have you read about hair tourniquets? Just a strand of hair can ruin your baby for life. She rolls over the wrong way, and  _ bam, _ her circulation is cut off because a fallen hair from one of our heads is wrapped around her toe-”

 

Hanamaru sighed. “Dia-chan, my God, you’re making me sweat!”

 

Dia started to say that Hanamaru  _ should _ be worried, since they had one of the most fragile varieties of the human race in  _ their _ care, but then she realized that Hanamaru had probably stressed herself out enough, even if she didn’t show it. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine. I’m more worried about you,” Hanamaru said. The mood had suddenly gotten a little somber. Hanamaru smiled and added, “Miyu-chan’s a Kurosawa. I doubt she’d fall to a little hair, zura.”

 

Dia smiled back. Out of instinct, she looked down at the crib; Miyu’s eyes had opened. “Oh. Hello there.”

 

Miyu stared up blankly, her eyes going back and forth between Hanamaru and Dia. Then, she kicked her feet. “She looks excited, zura! Do you think she recognized us?”

 

“I-I think so. But she’s looking at you more.”

 

“Probably because she knows I have the milk...she might be hungry. Are you hungry, Miyu-chan?” Hanamaru and Dia watched Miyu, and Miyu watched them. It was a soft kind of tension, but it grew awkward after a while.

 

Miyu looked around a bit more, moving her eyes from her parents to the mobile. Then, she closed her eyes again. “Well, that was anticlimactic,” Dia said wryly. She lowered her voice, trying to keep Miyu asleep.

 

“Is it anticlimactic enough for you to go back to sleep, zura?”

 

“No. I’ll be on guard duty,” Dia said, plopping back down into her chair.

 

Hanamaru did the same. “Me too, then. We’ll stay here ‘til sunrise, if that’s what you’re gonna do!”

 

Hanamaru didn’t seem to be in it for the long haul, though. Dia watched as her own eyes drifted shut. She looked just like Miyu, Dia thought, even if it was a bit presumptive. Hanamaru started to snore softly, and every now and again, Dia would hear Miyu shift in her crib. Dia’s two loves, resting easy before her. It put her at ease, too, even if she didn’t want to admit how sleepy she was getting. 

 

_ I’ll close my eyes for a moment, _ Dia decided. She gave Hanamaru and Miyu the once-over one last time before sitting back in her chair, falling asleep with her wife and her daughter until morning came.


End file.
